The present invention relates to a lens-fitted photographic film package which has a taking lens attached to a light-tight film case, an exposure member with its associated elements incorporated in the light-tight film case, and a photographic film previously loaded in the photographic film case as an integral whole.
A known lens-fitted photographic film package comprises a film case fitted with a taking lens, a simple exposure mechanism which includes a film winding mechanism and a shutter mechanism with their associated elements incorporated in the film case, and a 110-size cartridge film previously packaged in the film case. As the lens-fitted photographic film package has no conventional back cover for allowing loading and unloading a film and no complex exposure control mechanism, a low manufacturing cost has been achieved. The lens-fitted photographic film package, after the exposure of all frames of the film, is forwarded to a photo shop or photo laboratory without removing the film. There, the exposed film is removed by breaking open the film package and then developed to make prints therefrom while the film package without film is scrapped. The prints together with the developed film are returned to the customer. The lens-fitted single-use film package makes it easy to take pictures because there is no film loading and unloading.
As is well known in the art, the 110-size film cartridge has a roll of 110-size film strip contained light-tightly therein. The film package can be assembled by inserting the film cartridge into an exposure chamber formed inside the lens-fitted film case. Thanks to the use of cartridge film, not only the assembly of the film package but also the removal of the film cartridge from the film package can be effected in a daylight room without fogging the film in the cartridge.
However, it is hard to make an enlarged print with good image quality from the 110-size film. For improving image quality, it has been proposed to provide a lens-fitted film package including a 135-size roll film whose image size is 36.times.24 mm. When incorporating the 135 mm-size roll film defined by International Standardization Organization (ISO code 1007: 1979 Edition) in such a lens-fitted film package, it is preferred to encase a rolled film and an empty film container or patrone in a light-tight film case of the film package, the rolled film being wound up in the patrone by one frame every exposure. Due to the provision of the empty patrone in the light-tight film case of the film package, when the exposure of all frames of the film is completed, the film is entirely within the patrone. Therefore, the patrone can be taken out very easily, without any need for film rewinding. The exposed film is removed from the patrone and handled in the same manner as conventional 135-size film for development and processing, while the film case is scrapped.
When fastening the unexposed roll film around a spool in a film receiving chamber of the light-tight film case, a serious problem encountered is that the spool disposed in the film receiving chamber is required to rotate to allow advance of film after the exposure of each frame of the film. To satisfy this requirement, the lens-fitted photographic film package becomes complicated in structure. For structural simplicity, it is desirable not to provide any spool in the film receiving chamber of the light-tight film case.